{"id":205885,"date":"2026-05-14T20:17:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T01:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=205885"},"modified":"2026-05-14T20:21:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T01:21:34","slug":"central-insurance-hosts-annual-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2026\/05\/14\/central-insurance-hosts-annual-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"Central Insurance hosts annual meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Central Insurance held its 151st annual member meeting in Van Wert, Ohio, on Wednesday. The event marked a major milestone as the company celebrated 150 years of its steadfast commitment to its mutual promise: protecting policyholders while ensuring the organization\u2019s long-term strength.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u202f \u201cAs Central marks 150 years, we stand on a legacy shaped by integrity, relationships, and a relentless pursuit of excellence, said Chairman, CEO and President Evan Purmort. \u201cLooking back, we\u2019re proud of what our people and partners have built together, but I\u2019m confident our best days are ahead because we stay true to our purpose of taking care of our policyholders.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u202fPurmort noted that the company fulfills this purpose through financial strength and hospitality.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn 2025, we delivered exceptionally well on both fronts,\u201d Purmort stated. \u201cOur\u00a0operating performance remained robust with a strong combined ratio, a healthy return on surplus, and solid growth in targeted commercial lines.\u00a0We also upheld our commitment to genuine, human-centered hospitality, delivering world-class service with responsiveness and care.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purmort also highlighted Central\u2019s strong focus on community investment, including ongoing support for the Van Wert Forward downtown revitalization project and $100,000 in scholarships awarded to local students in 2025.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n

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The annual members meeting was held at Central Insurance in Van Wert this week. Photo submitted<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Chief Financial Officer Jessica Seymour detailed Central\u2019s financial stability over the past year.\u202f\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCentral\u2019s performance in the prior year highlights the stability and strength afforded by our exceptional financial foundation,\u201d Seymour said. \u201cThroughout the year, the company executed with discipline, strengthening our financial position in support of our mutual promise to policyholders.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company\u00a0wrote $135 million in new business\u00a0for\u00a02025, achieving a\u00a0growth rate of approximately\u00a021 percent. The company’s business mix ended the year at\u00a0nearly\u00a070 percent\u00a0commercial lines and\u00a030 percent personal lines,reflecting a meaningful\u00a0shift\u00a0toward\u00a0targeted\u00a0commercial\u00a0growth. This premium revenue\u00a0supported\u00a0$463\u00a0million in\u00a0claims\u00a0payments, allowing the\u00a0company\u00a0to\u00a0fulfill\u00a0its promises through\u00a0a dedicated\u00a0culture of hospitality.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combined underwriting and investment results yielded a net income before tax of $88.8 million. This performance drove a 6.8 percent return and contributed over $85 million of additional strength to Central\u2019s Policyholders\u2019 Security Fund.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other business, Chad Glenn, Evan Purmort, Richard Staropoli, and Chris Toomer were elected to the Board of Directors for a three-year term. Other directors include Tom Kearney, Ryan Maconachy, Ed Noonan, Romel Salam, Dennis Stripe, and David Ward.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about the innovation, investments, and culture of excellence behind the company\u2019s successful performance in 2025, read Central\u2019s Annual Report<\/u><\/a>.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in Van Wert, Ohio, in 1876, Central Insurance is a property and casualty insurance carrier providing premium coverage to hundreds of thousands of individuals and businesses across the country. Central is based in Van Wert and operates regional offices in Boston, Atlanta, and Columbus, Ohio<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Submitted information Central Insurance held its 151st annual member meeting in Van Wert, Ohio, on Wednesday. The event marked a major milestone as the company celebrated 150 years of its steadfast commitment to its mutual promise: protecting policyholders while ensuring the organization\u2019s long-term strength.\u202f  \u202f \u201cAs Central marks 150 years, we stand on a legacy shaped by integrity, relationships, and a relentless pursuit of excellence, said Chairman, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-205885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-19 20:31:56","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205885"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205898,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205885\/revisions\/205898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}